Our money still says "IN GOD WE TRUST" though.
"In God We Trust" did not show up on any money until 1864. It showed up only on coins until 1957, at which point it was included on paper money.
"In God We Trust" did not become the official motto of the United States until 1956.
Hmmm... I wonder how many of the Founding Fathers were still voting at that time?
One of the primary ideas was freedom of religion and another was inalienable [sic] rights given by GOD.
Back to one little NOTE on the GOD and religion aspect. It does not matter if you believe in GOD or a religion, the simple fact is when our country was founded it was accepted there was a GOD and our rights were guaranteed by him. The method our founding fathers employed was to guarantee that no CHURCH or specific religion took control of the government but allowed us to believe or not believe as we desired.
With that in mind, if you remove the ability to believe and or express your belief in GOD then you remove the assertion that WE THE PEOPLE have any rights.
To put this in simple terms if the Human race are not guaranteed "rights" by a power that is greater than the human race then who does decide who has rights?
All of the Founding Fathers certainly recognized that religion existed. They also recognized that there were many religious differences, including the agnostic point of view (even though that word did not exist at the time). And they were certainly familiar with their own recent history which included many contentious issues associated with religion.
Introduction to the Declaration of Independence:
When, in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of
Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the Causes which impel them to the Separation.
Regarding "Nature's God", don't be too quick to point at that and say, "See!"
Preamble to the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
And yet, curiously, the Slavery issue was stricken from the original draft of the Declaration of Independence!
Yes, the Declaration of Independence (Aug 2, 1776) did mention the "Creator". However, it must be recognized that the Declaration of Independence was a philosophical statement explaining why the War of Independence was about to occur.
Although the rational was based on rights endowed by
their "Creator" (whoever "their" Creator might be), it was not a declaration of belief in God. It was a Declaration of War.
And speaking of "endowed rights", how long were the "Chosen People" held in bondage, according to the will of "their" God, thus having been deprived of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"?
The point is, religious and secular history shows that "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" is not guaranteed by anyone! Certainly not God!
Having declared their intentions, the Founding Fathers then proceeded onto the next order of business. They developed a plan for conducting the operation of a government, strictly in terms of man.
Despite what it says in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, if you read the main text of the United States Constitution (Mar 4, 1789), you will see that there is no mention whatsoever of God, Creator, nor even religious freedom. That document is purely secular!
The Preamble of the United States Constitution:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.[/b]
It is clearly obvious that the Founding Fathers recognized that the business of running a country was purely secular. It starts with "We the People", not "We the People that Trust in God" or somesuch. As such, it is clear that the Founding Fathers recognized that running a government was man's business.
The whole concept of religious freedom was an after-thought! It showed up, only later, in the Bill of Rights (Dec 15, 1791).
The First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievance.
Basically, no, specifically, the Government is not allowed to establish or prevent religion.
That is nothing less than a clear declaration that the Government is, and shall remain, secular. That does, of course, raise the "In God We Trust" issue.
Am I a godless heathen? No, I'm not. I certainly believe that man should conduct his business with the basic tenets of decent human relations in mind. That includes those basic messages provided by Jesus in the New Testament and the 10 Commandments from the Old Testament.
I do, however, find it very interesting that the 10 Commandments are not quite the same among the various "religions" that refer to them.
I certainly DO NOT subscribe to the insanities of Leviticus! If you are going to believe anything from Leviticus, then aren't you obliged to believe, and follow, all of it? I wonder how many of you could survive the requirements of that book?
Back on point, I believe that we should all conduct ourselves according to the spirit of the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. For those that are religious-minded, I expect them to follow that spirit with even more fervor. However, in as much as this is a secular government, made by "We the People", among which some believe in one God or another, and some don't believe in any God at all, I don't think that any aspect of the Government can, or should, impose a religious attitude of any kind. If you want the 10 Commandments mounted in every Court House, then incorporate them into Secular Law!
Ahhh... but there are problems with that, aren't there?
This is (apparently) the original Jewish Version.
1. I am your God.
2. You will have no other gods.
3. You will not use the Lord's Name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath.
5. Honor your Mother and Father.
6. Thou shalt not murder.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors possessions.
Commandments 1 through 5 are totally unenforceable!
These are absolutely impossible to enforce! They are "thought" control. And besides, they directly conflict with the First Amendment!
Commandments 6 through 9 are already incorporated into Secular Law.
Commandment 10 is another uninforcable one.
This one is absolutely impossible to enforce! It is "thought" control.
The 10 Commandments defines the relationship between each individual and his God.
Jesus said... Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.
Sounds pretty clear to me. Jesus recognized the difference. Why can't you?
"The second inevitable aspect was that we would "retaliate" in some manner against "someone", it did not matter if that person or country was involved or not. At this point all that was needed was a person/country to puff out its chest at the US and we would attack.
I do not know if George Bush is a good President or not..."
Ron, are you serious???
When you talk about the Office of the President, you should be talking about someone that is "morally" obligated to be an example to all Americans. Bill Clinton was smart in many ways, first he avoided being involved in international affairs. Personally I think he should have been impeached for violating moral obligations. The President is the Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces, any member of the Armed Forces found guilty of violating moral issues is discharged. The message Clinton sent by violating the rules of conduct and lying was "I am the President therefore I am above the LAW".
And so... where were you when Jimmy Carter was running for his second term?
Regarding "I am above the LAW"... How many laws does this guy that belives in Dictatorships ("...as long as I'm the Dictator!" GWB) have to break before you can see that he thinks that he is above the law?
OK fine, but there was something worse going on. FEMA workers were getting shot at in The Big Easy. Looting was rampant; people expected the govt to bail them out, with no effort on their own part. The very people who refused free transportation out of the city. Something is bad wrong with that picture.
